Dmitry Medvedev and Andrei Kobyakov
Official Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov commented on the discussion the Prime Minister of Russia Dmitry Medvedev and his Belarusian counterpart Andrei Kobyakov on the issue of gas prices. The words Peskov on Tuesday, March 7th, the correspondent “Tapes.ru”.
“As for the so-called gas dispute, Russia is very consistent position, and at the working level, it is consistently brought to our Belarusian colleagues,” — said Peskov.
He also reminded that President of Russia Vladimir Putin noted the importance of good relations with Belarus.
“We value these relations very highly, and the best proof of this is the amount of direct and indirect assistance provided by the Russian Federation our brotherly Belarus”, — said the press Secretary of the head of state.
Earlier in the day, speaking at a meeting of the Eurasian intergovernmental Council in Bishkek, Medvedev compared the actions of some members of the Eurasian economic Union (EEU) with blackmail and urged the partners “to exercise in the calculation of” price of Russian gas.
He recalled that if some countries have not joined the EEU, it would buy Russian gas at European prices — about $ 200 per thousand cubic meters.
At the same time, the Prime Minister of Belarus Andrei Kobyakov expressed surprise at the difference in gas prices in Russia and Belarus, “Interfax-West”. “Why this difference is so sharply grow? With 38 percent in early 2014 to 110 percent in 2016,” said Kobyakov. According to him, various obstacles for Belarus in the EAEU market “are growing like a snowball”.
In early February President of Belarus Alexander Lukashenko said that for the sake of independence the country can do without Russian oil. In addition, the Minsk, he said, has the right to reduce the price of gas.